Unless I'm going to a client, I go to work by train. It's a mixed blessing. On the one hand it's quicker than a car journey and MUCH less stressful and on the other it's hideously expensive (it costs me £14 per day with no chance of any discounts as I don't go to the same place of work every day).

Most of the time I love being able to read my book, mull over work or play issues and relax rather than doing battle on the M25.

Today it was on time - good! It had only two carriages - bad! There were no schoolkids - good! The carriage stunk of someone else's farts - bad! There were no empty seats and the guy next to me picked his nose all the way to Guildford - bad! When I got to Dorking the Full Monty boys had my cup of coffee waiting - good! Even on the way home they behaved well enough to let me catch a slightly earlier train home to David and the dogs.

Each day I see these poppies on the end of Epsom station. In the morning when I'm in too much of a hurry to stop and photograph them, they're gleamingly red, beautiful and fragile....so fragile in fact that by the time I come home, they've all been blown away leaving only seedpods like these. I kind of like their fragility and their optimism by starting all over again the next day. That's a good thought - maybe the nose-picker won't be there tomorrow.

I live in hope!